Strange Bedfellows
by VGWrighte
Summary: Series 6 finale, after the birth. Fluffy bit about The Turners and Sister Julienne. 1: How My Wife Ended Up In Bed With A Nun. 2: Her First Baby.
1. How My Wife Ended Up In Bed With A Nun

Strange Bedfellows

Chapter One: How My Wife Ended Up in Bed With a Nun

Based upon Call the Midwife, written by Jennifer Worth, developed by Heidi Thomas.

\- - Turner Residence, Winter 1961 - -

Patrick sat in the chair in the corner of his bedroom, holding his new born son. He was so beautiful. And Patrick couldn't be happier that he was simply healthy. After hoping so long for a baby, and after hoping for a safe pregnancy, and hoping for a safe birth, Patrick felt relief in every muscle, every fiber of his being.

Relief. Relief and gratitude.

And, of course, love.

It wasn't that he hadn't loved Angela from the moment he first saw her. Because he had. But Patrick hadn't felt a sense of ownership of her from the beginning. Angela had been Shelagh's and Shelagh's alone for the first several days she was part of their family.

It wasn't until eight or ten days after they brought her home that Patrick spent all night rocking her, allowing Shelagh some desperately needed sleep, that Patrick began to feel like she was his.

But this child. This child was his from the start.

Patrick peered into his face, trying to decide which of the names they had chosen fit him. Before seeing him, Patrick had been partial to James. It was a family name on both sides: his eldest brother, James, and Shelagh's younger brother, Seamus. But looking at him now, Patrick didn't think it suited him.

Shelagh had been partial to Gabriel, their miracle child. Patrick argued all three of their children were miracles. Not to mention that they had already decided on the middle name of Patrick, and Timothy had talked them out of G.P. Turner.

The importance of a name seemed so trivial at the moment.

Patrick contented himself by just staring at his son, a gentle smile on his face. The boy was resting after his arduous arrival.

Sister Julienne was helping Shelagh have a nice short bath.

Patrick was so grateful.

Several minutes later, Shelagh returned with the assistance of Sister Julienne. The Sister helped Shelagh into bed and Patrick brought her their baby as she got settled. He could see the exhaustion on her face, but she came alight when she saw him and reached out for him.

Patrick smiled and passed her their baby. She cuddled him close to her breast and tears threatened to fall, again.

He suddenly became aware of Sister Julienne again. "Let me go make you both a nice cup of tea," she offered.

"No, Sister," Patrick stopped her. She looked tired. It had been a long day for her as well. "Let me."

Patrick left them and made his way to the kitchen. He filled the kettle and placed it on the stove. He was debating on whether or not to call Granny Parker. The children wanted to know about the baby as soon as it was born, but it was late. Patrick glanced at the clock on the mantel but had to take a second look. It was later than he thought. Closer now to morning than evening. The children would have been asleep for hours.

He would tell them when he fetched them in the morning.

Seeing how late it was, he was hoping he could convince Sister Julienne to stay until morning. She would protest, he was sure. He would remind her that she would want to return early in the morning to check on both Shelagh and the baby. She would insist that she didn't want to be a burden.

Perhaps Shelagh could convince her.

If he replaced the linens on Timothy's bed, perhaps she would feel obligated to stay for his efforts. Patrick knew he shouldn't be thinking of attempting to guilt a nun into anything, but it was for as much her good as his wife's. Shelagh would rest easier knowing Sister Julienne was safe tucked up in bed under their roof.

The kettle started to whistle, so he set the tea to steep and changed the linens on Timothy's bed. He returned to the kitchen and set up a tray with three cups and three saucers. He reached for the packet of pink wafers in the cupboard, but couldn't find them. He moved items around in the cupboard, looking for them. He frowned, and eventually abandoned the effort.

Taking the tray, he returned to their bedroom. Patrick nudged the door open quietly with his shoulder and froze as he turned around, a smile growing on his face.

Shelagh sat in the middle of the bed, their son asleep in her arms. Sister Julienne sat upright, but asleep, her legs stretched out, shoes abandoned hap-hazardly on the floor, as if she had just toed them off, and her arm around his wife.

It was clear, even before now, that they had both been exhausted by their labors. Patrick was surprised that Sister Julienne had fallen asleep as well. Perhaps the emotional strain of Shelagh's difficult labor had taken a harder toll on her than she was accustomed to. That combined with her ease and comfort around Shelagh allowed her to fall asleep, he was sure.

He was mildly disappointed that he wouldn't be spending the night with his wife in his arms, but Patrick didn't have the heart to wake either of them. And climbing onto his side of the bed was simply unthinkable. Patrick frowned momentarily, he had just changed the linens on Timothy's bed.

Shelagh moved in her sleep, leaning more into Sister Julienne's embrace.

Patrick smiled again and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

\- - End Chapter One - -


	2. Her First Baby

Strange Bedfellows

Chapter Two: Her First Baby

Based upon Call the Midwife, written by Jennifer Worth, developed by Heidi Thomas.

\- - Turner Residence, Winter 1961 - -

After delivering and verifying the placenta was complete, Sister Julienne took the baby back from Shelagh to clean him. Shelagh hadn't wanted to let him go, but at the encouragement of Doctor Turner, she did.

She couldn't help but glance back at Shelagh and her husband, still entwined in an embrace on their bed. In the decades that she had been delivering babies, husbands were seldom involved in the birth, and none so much as Doctor Turner. Also in that time, she had seen many couples rejoicing after the birth of a child, but - again - seldom so intimately.

But this was different. New parents seemed to forget she was in the room. The Turners were different. They were clearly aware of her presence. It wasn't that they didn't care. It was as if they felt entirely comfortable expressing themselves in front of her.

Doctor Turner had his arms around Shelagh, holding her firmly, but loosely. She was entirely relaxed in his embrace, holding both of his hands, one over her heart. She turned her head, resting on his chest, a smile of relief on her face. Doctor Turner's lips were pressed to his wife's temple, a rumbling chuckle admitting from his chest periodically.

Sister Julienne gently cleaned Baby Turner, an odd sensation welling in her chest. She had delivered thousands of babies - tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands - but she had never felt this way about a child. She had never wanted to kiss a baby. She had never had the overwhelming urge to press her lips to a new born baby's skin.

She never felt a sense of ownership over an infant before.

But this one, she did.

But this baby made her want to kiss him and cuddle him for hours, for days.

Once he was clean, she wrapped him in a dry, warm piece of flannel and looked into his face. He looked up at her with a sense of recognition. Almost as if he knew her. Almost as if he knew she had delivered him, as if he knew how much she loved him. No infant had ever looked at her like this before.

Ever so gently, she pressed her lips to his brow.

Her heart swelled.

Again she looked into his face. He wasn't smiling, that wasn't possible at his age. But it felt like he was smiling, and she couldn't help but smile back.

She heard some shuffling behind her which took her attention from the baby in her arms. She turned to see Doctor Turner moving from behind his wife to settle next to her. She was still leaning on him heavily.

Sister Julienne moved toward Doctor Turner. "Now, Doctor, perhaps you could hold Baby while I help Mrs. Turner clean up?"

Shelagh reached out. "Not yet. Let me hold him for another minute, please."

Sister Julienne smiled, unable to say no. She handed Shelagh her baby and watched them for a few moments, mesmerized by the scene. Tears were, again, silently streaming down Shelagh's face as she gazed at her son, leaning into her husband's embrace.

She took the opportunity to clear up her instruments, periodically glancing back to the domestic bliss behind her. After everything was cleaned up and tidy, she went to the lavatory and drew a warm bath before returning to the bedroom.

It was Doctor Turner who got things moving, reaching for his son. Shelagh was reluctant to give him up, but eventually did so. She put her arm around Shelagh and helped her up.

Shelagh moaned as she was lowered into the bath. Sister Julienne took a soft cloth and started to sponge her down. A gentle smile sat on Shelagh's face. After a few moments, Shelagh looked up at her. "Thank you."

"Oh my Dear, you are most welcome."

After a warm bath and a dry nightgown, Sister Julienne settled Shelagh back into bed. Doctor Turner handed their son back to his wife and she took him gleefully, pinning him tight to her body.

"Let me go make you both a nice cup of tea," she offered. She was tired and knew that Shelagh was as well. A nice cup of tea would restore her nicely.

"No, Sister," Doctor Turner stopped her. "Let me."

She tried to protest but Doctor Turner left too quickly. She stood still for a moment, torn. She wanted to sit and cuddle with Shelagh and the baby, but she couldn't. This was another birth and she was simply another midwife.

Shelagh looked up at her, smiling. "Sister, isn't he beautiful?"

Sister Julienne smiled and sat on the side of the bed, looking into Shelagh's arms. "Oh, Sister, her certainly is." She put her arm around Shelagh's shoulder, peering at the miracle.

It seemed like only a minute or two before Shelagh's weight sagged against her. She shifted her gaze to Shelagh and saw that both she and the baby had fallen asleep. Sister Julienne couldn't bear moving, waking either of them. So she kicked off her shoes, and put her feet up, shifting her arm slightly.

Sister Julienne turned her eyes up and thanked God for the miracles in her life and the love of her family.

\- - END - -


End file.
